For years natural turf surfaces were used for most outdoor sports such as, for example, soccer, football, field hockey, cricket, rugby, etc. Natural turf surfaces are surfaces constructed with a grass grown in soil, or some other surface layer of material (e.g., sand, sand and organic mixes, etc.), that is constructed upon a suitable foundation. Natural turf surfaces are generally preferred for their comfort, feel, grip, and appearance.
However, under heavy use and/or poor weather conditions, natural turf surfaces deteriorate rapidly and maintenance is costly. Intense activity on the turf destroys the turf and the root system, leaving mud and/or dirt as the playing surface. Due to the needs of the sports programs, play usually continues until the season is over and the field can be re-established. During this time, prior to re-establishment, the surface is often pockmarked, uneven, and possibly even hazardous to use. Further, these natural turf surfaces are not useable during the re-establishment period because any use would defeat the reestablishment of the grass.
More recently, synthetic turf surfaces have been used as an alternative to natural turf surfaces. Synthetic turf surfaces generally come in two varieties, i.e., non-sand filled and sand filled synthetic turf. Non-sand filled synthetic turf is a dense synthetic material that takes the appearance of grass blades and is mounted indoors or outdoors, usually upon an asphalt and cushion foundation. Sand filled synthetic turf is a synthetic material similar to the non-sand filled synthetic turn, but is generally less dense than non-sand filled turf, and is filled with silica sand. The sand filled synthetic turf is mounted outdoors only upon structures similar to those used for non-sand filled turf and sometimes on other foundations of crushed rock cushion materials (rubber particles) mixed therein. Both may be used in conjunction with subsurface drainage.
Although synthetic turf surfaces are more durable and easier to maintain than natural turf surfaces they, are only moderately successful for sports and other uses for many reasons. The most notable of the disadvantages of the synthetic turf surfaces is the discomfort for sports use, particularly over heating in the direct sun, unnatural traction, and friction burns . Additionally, these surfaces are generally expensive to cream and have a life expectancy of 8-12 years. Still further, outdoor synthetic turf facilities remove vast areas from the cleosystem, reducing natural processes including ground water recharge, oxygen and carbon monoxide balance, temperature modulation, and dust filtration. For these reasons, a number of synthetic turf surfaces are being converted back to the natural turf surfaces, discussed above.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide an improved surface for sports and other uses, and a method of making the improved surface, wherein the surface will provide comfort to the users, will be a durable surface under heavy use and in poor weather conditions, and which can be less expensive to create and maintain. Further, it is desirable to provide such a surface that will not remove vast areas of the earth surface from the ecosystem.